The Sony PlayStation 2017 Gift Guide

Black Friday beckons, Cyber Monday draws near, and Tech Treats Tuesday is a thing I made up but will probably soon exist. What you need to know is, things will be on sale, the good things. The things that buzz, distract, thrill, and make your living room the wonderful haven that it is through the upcoming winter.

Sony GOT YOU FAM. With the Sony PlayStation 4 still running very strong—especially now with its growing library on PlayStation VR, the cheapest, simplest entry into VR gaming currently on the market—there are a whole cadre of excellent deals you should be sniffing out as the weekend draws near, with others to keep note of through and past the holiday season.

That jump to VR remains central, although some exciting recent releases prove that there’s yet more to Sony’s lineup, and much more to come.

Some of us need to refresh our trusty PS4s, and the PS4 Pro comes equipped with more power under the hood and improved internal hardware. For living rooms set up for 4K resolution screens it’s an easy upgrade decision, and “Pro patches” to pre-existing games continue to roll out. Additionally, this year saw a “Boost mode” implemented in the most recent firmware that should provide a system-wide range of benefits for most titles. At $100 more than the standard PS4, the Pro is an affordable upgrade bump, and will hopefully be included in plenty of upcoming sales promotions at retailers.

Speaking of: The PS VR provides a few different options to get started gaming in virtual reality. At bare minimum, you’re going to want the PS VR headset and the Sony PlayStation Camera. These items will pack in Sony stereo headphones with in-line remote, all the cables you’ll need (including HDMI), and a demo disc. The latter is no slouch, and features a cadre of different experiences and worthy samples of the games you’re going to want to pick up later on. The camera comes with all the hookups you’ll need as well.

Note: Some have alerted that the original Core Bundle has been discontinued, but you may be able to find remaining boxes at specific stores and online.

With the base unit and camera, you’re ready to go, but you may also want two Motion Plus controllers. These will be required for certain titles—again, the demo disc comes in handy here, because you’ll know this right away for any included games—but this info is also readily available in the relevant PlayStation Store listing for a game. Bear in mind: there are quite a few PS VR games that do not require Motion Plus, so don’t fret if it’s not yet in the budget; it’s an easy upgrade later on down the line.

Currently, you can also pick up The PlayStation VR Worlds Bundle, which upgrades the core bundle with 2 Motion Plus controllers as well as the game PlayStation VR Worlds, “Five different VR experiences that have all been built from the ground up exclusively for the PS VR headset.” Other store-dependent bundles and deals may see fit to include other full games to seduce buyers, so make sure to check listings accordingly.

If you’ve ever demo’d a PS VR game at a trade show or convention, you’re familiar with this comfortable and sleek headset. Featuring excellent isolation, a noise cancelling (and hidden) microphone, and 7.1 virtual surround sound, it pairs excellently with your PlayStation system, VR or no VR. Being able to use your VR rig without having to add other wires to the mix makes this a strong recommendation if it’s in the budget.

Note that a PlayStation is not needed for these headphones. In addition to pairing well with your PS Vita or PS3 (which even feature specific game modes specifically designed for these headphones), the included USB dongle can connect to your PC. And, if you for some reason need it to be wired, an included 3.5mm cable can plug directly in to an audio source.

For any young ones in the house who might experience some difficulty with a standard size PS4 Dualshock® controller, Sony has now made a specific type of controller for them. 40% smaller than the Dualshock® but complete with all the essential controller inputs and a 10’ cable, the Mini Wired Gamepad comes at a great low price standard.

Note that the Mini Wired Gamepad does not include the light bar, headset jack, speaker, motion sensor, or dual motors usually found in a Dualshock®.

PlayStation Games

This has been a landmark year for PlayStation games, including crowd-favorites like the PS4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn (which boasts a recently released, well-received expansion), Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and Resident Evil 7.

Additionally, upcoming VR games are looking to be the best of the bunch, with the just-released The Elder Srolls V: Skyrim VR a great start to holiday releases.

Hinted at, teased, and lightly demo’d for a while now, Skyrim has finally combined forces with the PS VR into, arguably, the most expansive, full-length open-world VR game ever produced. Although it’s already been a few years since its initial release on consoles and PC, the promises fulfilled with VR turns the snowy Nordic fantasy experience into an entirely new beast. For people who don’t have PS VR just yet, the Skyrim bundle linked further above is sure to spark interest. Don’t sleep on this.

For those of us who played and enjoyed Until Dawn—a PS4 exclusive and one of the best horror adventure games on the console—we now have The Inpatient, a prequel set 60 years before the original and designed for PS VR. Interestingly, there appears to be a kind of wider universe around Until Dawn being established, as Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, a VR shooting-gallery horror game, came out last year as well.

This charming action-adventure game stars a young mouse named Quill on a fantastical journey. Interestingly, the game seems to feature direct and indirect character control, with the player in VR controlling Quill, but also guiding her, healing her, and changing the landscape when needed to progress. Look out for more information on Moss in the coming months.

Designed as a 2-player co-op experience in PS VR (although containing a fully playable single-player campaign as well), Bravo Team is set to be a kind of action film-inspired FPS. Involving tactical decisions and active cover mechanics and leaning—as in, having to actually move your body while behind cover—the game might turn your living room into a war zone…in a good way.

Fighter-enthusiasts pretty much need to grab their copy of the newest installment of MvC, and the holidays are the perfect opportunity to escape an awkward conversation and just beat up some supervillains (and heroes). Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite has already garnered some positive reviews since its September release, but it’s never too late to hit the training room.

One of the best games of the year and a crown jewel in Sony’s stable of exclusives, Horizon: Zero Dawn had rumored DLC very shortly after release, much to the surprise of its fans. Developer Guerilla Games delivered on that promise, releasing DLC The Frozen Wilds on November 7th, adding more content to inspire a return to the snowy ravaged open world.

Note that PS Plus subscribers can also get started with the game and DLC in a digital format right now for $34.98 (a discounted $14.99 for the DLC with PS Plus, and the digital version of the base game is currently 50% off at $19.99), but the Complete Edition is arriving next month for anyone who misses the sales, or wants a hard copy. Either way, this is a game that cannot be recommended enough, and will be coming up frequently once various Game of the Year awards are upon us.

Famous, infamous, notorious, and stunning to watch and listen to, Star Wars Battlefront II has certainly been making headlines. For Star Wars fanatics the game is an easy sell, with unparalleled graphics and sound design that has become a hallmark of the series. BGN’s E.Angel recently covered the timed beta, and we’re hoping to see some solid discounts and sales for this weekend.

Leonardo Faierman is the senior film editor at Black Girl Nerds. Born in Buenos Aires, raised in Queens, Bar Mitzvah'd at Young Israel, buried under student loans. He writes video game, music, film, and movie reviews, as well as poetry, comic books, bad dreams and good copy. He's 1/5th of the comics podcast #BlackComicsChat and 1/2 of horror film podcast The Scream Squad.

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